Home News & Features H20 Connected Offers Solution for Leaking Toilets

H20 Connected Offers Solution for Leaking Toilets

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COATESVILLE, PA.— According to the EPA, 20 percent of toilets in the U.S. are leaking, and waste an average of 50 gallons a day. The EPA reference is only for leaking flappers and doesn’t include faulty fill valves which can leak or fail entirely. Both leaking flappers and faulty fill valves can waste up to 250 gallons every day. The EPA also does not include running toilets, yet another little understood water wasting problem. Running toilets can waste up to 7,000 gallons per day, and most running toilets are repeat offenders.

“A faulty toilet impacts the guest experience,” says Ernie Howard, Executive V.P. of Operations for H2O Connected, LLC, provider of the LeakAlertor Wireless PRO System. “Also, our own stats show the EPA numbers are low. Customers are shocked by how much is leaking.”

The only way to accurately and reliably detect and measure water loss from running toilets, leaking flappers, faulty fill valves, incorrect float heights, and other problems is to measure the water height changes over time, from inside the toilet tank. So says H2O Connected, LLC, on its website promoting its system, which monitors water height and toilet water loss in gallons and dollars wasted.

The LeakAlertor Wireless PRO System is a sensor that is placed in the toilet tank. It tracks changes in water height up to 1/100th of an inch, analyzes the data, and then communicates with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to transmit alerts for catastrophic events, and to upload data to the PRO Dashboard. The PRO Dashboard can be accessed via any Internet-connected device. Users can add, edit, or delete new contacts for receiving alerts. The system’s Gateway connects to AWS servers using a cellular connection. The Gateway’s battery back-up ensures continuous operation for up to six hours during power outages.

The LeakAlertor Wireless PRO System tracks total flushes (intentional usage) plus water volume per flush for each toilet. Excessive water loss events are detected—running toilets and possible overflows. The exact toilet is detected, with the specific cause, and water loss is quantified in gallons and dollars. The system identifies overflows and running toilets with immediate text alerts. Dashboard notifications occur when flappers and/or fill valves are wasting water and need replacement. Using the PRO Dashboard, customers can identify trends and see how much wáter they are saving.

Susan Springsteen, President of H2O Connected, LLC, whose company will be exhibiting at The Hospitality Show in San Antonio, Texas later this month, says the ROI on the system is 12 to 15 months but it can be less where water costs are high. “Every property has its own dashboard,” she said. The Dashboard and prioritized email work orders allow the biggest water loss problems to be addressed first. For example, one can measure if a toilet is flushing too much water.

H2O Connected, LLC developed a calculator to help one estimate the cost of the LeakAlertor Wireless PRO System, and how quickly one can reach a positive ROI.

“Water is becoming a major expense,” says Springsteen, whose product also decreases one’s overall environmental footprint by taking water consumption off of the electric grid.

The LeakAlertor Wireless PRO System is powered with a five-year battery. “There is no real maintenance involved in the device itself,” Springsteen said.

Interestingly, low-flow toilets are not always the best water-saving option. “Low-flow toilets may have high flush volume,” Springsteen said.

H2O Connected, LLC won the People’s Choice Award at the E20X Competition at HITEC 2024 for the LeakAlertor system.

“Using the LeakAlertor system, our customers feel like they have control over their wáter expenses again,” Springsteen says.

The PRO Dashboard

Glenn Hasek can be reached at greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.

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